1)      Busing for desegregation purposes will be discontinued effective with the 2008-09 school year.

2)      Commencing with the 2008-09 school year, all students will be allowed to attend their neighborhood school. This includes neighborhood magnet schools, but excludes pure magnet schools.

3)      For purposes of this recommendation the original Assigned Attendance Area (AAA) and the peripheral AAA area will jointly be referred to as the “Area”. 

4)      Secondary students:

a.     who reside in the original AAA area will be assigned to schools based on address until such time as capacity issues have been addressed in the original AAA area.

b.        who reside in the peripheral AAA area will be assigned to attend schools based upon geographic boundary areas that will be established for the Peripheral area.

5)      A strong magnet school program will be maintained by the Wichita Public Schools in order that families will continue to have school choice. The neighborhood magnet schools located within the AAA and peripheral AAA areas will continue to operate as neighborhood magnet schools, and the pure magnet schools located within this area will remain in their current format.

6)      Priority magnet placement will be given in 2008-09, if space is available, to students bused for desegregation in the 2007-08 school year (see Attachment A).

7)      Priority magnet placement will be given to students who reside in the Area, subject to space availability, beginning in the 2009-10 school year and continuing until such time as capacity issues have been addressed in the Area.

8)      The Gordon Parks Academy will be a neighborhood K-8 magnet school, and half of the seats in the school will be guaranteed to students in the designated neighborhood. Gordon Parks Academy neighborhood students must still apply through the magnet lottery process due to capacity concerns. The neighborhood boundaries for Gordon Parks Academy will be the Area. Application will be made for Gordon Parks Academy to be designated as an International Baccalaureate program school.

9)      Students bused for desegregation purposes in the 2007-08 school year to the schools noted in Attachment A, either forced or voluntary, will have the option to continue attending the school in which they were enrolled in 2007-08, as well as the feeder pattern for that school, through the duration of their education in the Wichita Public Schools. If transportation was provided in 2007-08, that service will remain. Siblings of such students shall also have the option to attend the school to which their sibling is bused, and also remain in that feeder pattern for the duration of their education in the Wichita Public Schools.

10)  The Board of Education will appoint a Busing Oversight Transition Committee to monitor this transition. This committee will meet at least once each nine weeks during the 2008-09 school year, and at least once annually each year thereafter. A report will be submitted to the BOE following each meeting. Each BOE member will appoint two community representatives from their BOE district. The Superintendent will also appoint two members, one of whom will be a staff member responsible for supporting the committee. This committee will take the place of the existing Desegregation/Diversity Committee.